pretty and deadly

pretty and deadly
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

It's finally cooling off here in Tucson- enough to be able to take a little hike in the desert. We went to Catalina State Park last Saturday morning with Daisy to walk the Romero Canyon loop (a relatively easy scenic desert trail). Thankfully, I had my eyes open and I spotted this beautiful creature just crossing the trail. I knew that we have snakes that look like coral snakes (but aren't) here in southern AZ they are pretty common, called Kingsnakes...BUT what I didn't know was that we also have coral snakes here (apparently someone forgot to tell them that our coral is long gone)

I took this picture so that I could identify the snake when we got home and to my surprise I find that it is a Western Coral snake (venomous and potentially deadly). So glad my son and my dog kept their distance (I did too- used a zoom on this image)

Here's the little rhyme that is taught to identify these two critters apart:
"Red touches yellow, could kill a fellow"
"Red touches black is a friend to Jack"

I'll remember it now! :-)
Happy trails to you!-MBZ

Affordable alternatives

Yes, silver is becoming more and more expensive-
I'm watching the market price go up on a daily basis- it's almost to the point that I won't be able to replenish my stock of silver supplies without raising my prices on my silver stock! YIKES!

Anyways- I totally appreciate the being on a budget thing-
that's why I've just added a less expensive alternative to
some of my gear pendants- They are in Yellow bronze and are on "sliding clasp"
adjustable cord.

gear heart pendant in yellow bronze  with sliding adjustable cord $35(pictured here)

I will also have one of these tree huggers on a sliding cord listed soon-
just have to finish them up and take some pics- they are the same as this listing, but with a sliding cord (also $35) I can list one of these for you if you are interested- just let me know

oh yeah- I don't have the compass pieces in bronze just yet- will have them in stock most likely in December/January. Hopefully in December...early. That's what I'm shooting for- Bang!
:-)

Ring a day- Il Maestro

Titled "Il Maestro" extravagant gestures and impeccable taste for drama envelop
this phantom's being.

Made from Pewter, a broken skull bead and a bit of enamel paint- this is the ring for today..... (the ring shank is his bowed legs- fits size 8 (american)
"tis the season!

All Souls Procession

Every year in Tucson we all are waiting with baited breath for Halloween- It is the time that Tucsonans  look to for many reasons-

One, yes, is that Halloween is fun, and there is candy and costumes and parties. BUT That's the way it is all over the US- so it's not particular to Tucson....

Another reason is that Halloween (late October) is the time when our temperatures finally drop to reasonable levels. It is when we are able to go outside for longer than 10 minutes without risking heat stroke. (and for that we all are thankful). I for one am looking forward to spending more time in the garden.

The big thing that many Tucsonans look forward to isn't candy or coolness- It is the chance to honor their departed loved ones during Dia de los Muertos and the All Souls Procession. Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that is a beautiful (slightly macabre) way to honor your ancestors.

We celebrate DDLM in Tucson with our own flair- many people hold remembrance dinners, shrines are created and tended, and one glorious night, Tucsonans gather at the All Souls Procession- draped in their skeletal finery. The procession is now in it's 21st year- starting out as a small group of friends, it is now a major event- with thousands of participants and even more spectators. The procession is for everyone young, old, live  or dead. It's path meanders through Tucson's downtown area- ending at a vast open space- where Flam Chen's fire performance and the burning of the giant urn (in which participants have placed remembrance prayers for their loved ones) truly amazes even the most cynical arthags.

I'm looking forward to the procession- preparing myself to deal with crowds (being 5'1" makes it a bit difficult to be in a throng of people) And prepping my wardrobe to take part in Tucson's way of honoring our dearly departed.

Sugar Skull jewelry

In the spirit of the season, I have created a limited edition line of sugar skull pendants and earrings.
They are made with embossed and painted aluminum- the earrings have sterling findings. Now available in my etsy shop and in person at Bohemia gallery, Tucson.

Nonna

Nonna means "grandmother" in Italian- This is a post about my Mother in Law who lives in a hillside village outside of Florence Italy.She is now 88 years old, and still living by herself (by her choice)

We have seen a decline in her mental state over the past few years, with a noteable decline within the last 6 months. So much so that Guido (my husband) had purchased a ticket to go to Italy in early November - with the plan to convince her that she needed to accept help in her living situation.

 This is a picture I took of Cosmo and his Nonna (grandmother) in December 2006.

Well, last Monday the world spun just a bit too fast and she took a bad step and broke her leg. Luckily, she was out walking in her village and she was brought to the hospital by ambulance. (we have been fearing a fall in her house- knowing that she wouldn't be "found" for a long time) She was operated on successfully on Wednesday, and is possibly getting out of the hospital today. 

The problem is- her mental state.She is quite confused about where she is- thinks that she is at home- and what is happening- she claims that I have been visiting her- While we know that some of this is due to the medication we have also begun accepting that she is experiencing some form of dementia.

It has become clear that we cannot bring her home again, for her own health and safety.

Guido is currently with her in Italy- he cashed in his vacation time and is staying for a month (if not more) his mission is to find her a safe and reliable living situation. We don't know what her reaction will be to not returning to her home, but because of it's layout it may not be possible for her to be there. SO- we have no choice but to put her in a nursing home in Italy- 

It's tearing us apart- we really wanted to bring her here -to the US- to be near us so we could oversee her care- BUT-----she isn't a US citizen, speaks very little English, and wouldn't have medical insurance. I guess sometimes circumstances make our choices for us, but this is a bitter pill to swallow.

I am hoping by writing this here that one of my brilliant readers could have information about how we could bring her here..I know it's a longshot, but we are just distraught about having to leave her somewhere without our supervision. Moving back to Italy is a very last resort possibility- it would mean that we both would lose our jobs (and I would lose my business that I have been intensely creating over the past few years) and our son would be uprooted from his school (though some time learning Italian would do him good)

thanks for reading this- If you have any suggestions I would like to hear them- until she is in a good situation we will be a divided family. I can handle it- but for our son, it stinks. I guess I should feel thankful that I at least know that My husband isn't at war- and that I don't have to worry about his safety on top of it all.

thanks once again- 

ciao ciao- Maureen

venturing into print ads..

The Holidays are coming soon and my new line of jewelry is becoming available in my shop- I've got a handle on my website building...and I'm ready to go and sell some really cool pieces!
So- I've decided to take out a couple of ads in a few appropriate magazines- this is what I'm thinking about putting in the Tucson local hip glossy mag Zocalo....

 

 

the other ad is in the SNAG (Society of North American Goldsmiths) showcase in the slick American Style magazine ...which is a different imageto suit their clientele. (it's a more formal ad, with a single beautiful piece as the image) I haven't seen the proofs yet, but I think it should look really good.

anyhow- my next ad that I need to work on is an online ad- I'd appreciate suggestions for sites to advertise on- I've done FB ads already but wasn't impressed by the response- where else?

thanks for your input- 

ciao for now- Maureen 

.........and when I have more time I'm going to write about our saga with an aging parent who lives 6000 miles away....To be continued....